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413-566-2151 x112 625 Main St, Hampden, MA Access My Account

Revised and adopted by the Hampden Public Library Board of Trustees September 16, 2017

Purpose

The Hampden Free Public Library provides access to the Internet as one of the means of fulfilling its mission to provide “information, education and entertainment to all members of the Hampden community through a variety of formats including current technology…”  (Mission Statement approved by the Board of Trustees of the Hampden Free Public Library).  All internet resources accessible through the Library are provided equally to all users, with the understanding that it is the individual user’s responsibility to demonstrate judgment, respect for others, and appropriate conduct while using Hampden Free Public Library resources and facilities.  Staff will provide assistance to Internet users to the extent that time and patron demands allow.  Library staff, at their sole discretion, is authorized to terminate any user’s access session, or to prohibit a user from subsequent access sessions for up to two weeks from the date of informing the user of that action, given cause to believe that the user has failed to comply with the Internet Acceptable Use Policy and/or Rules of Conduct.

Rules of Conduct

  1. Internet computers will not be used for illegal activity, to access illegal materials, or to access

materials which by local community standards would be deemed obscene.

  1. Internet computers will not be used in violation of Massachusetts General Laws c. 272, Section 31, the

“Harmful to Minors” statute.

  1. Transmission of inappropriate material via the Internet, electronic mail, social networks, or other forms of direct electronic communication is prohibited.
  1. Unauthorized disclosure, use, or dissemination of personal information is prohibited.
  2. Library staff may limit use of computer equipment which has been purchased from grant funds, according to the terms or intent of the grant agreement.
  1. Installation, downloading, or modification of software and computer settings is prohibited.
  2. Users will obey copyright laws and licensing agreements.
  3. Users will not make any attempt to gain unauthorized access to restricted files or networks, or to damage or modify computer equipment or software. Users will be held monetarily responsible for an amount up to $100 for any repairs to computers necessitated by their improper use of the equipment.
  4. Prompt payment is required by users who incur charges for printing. (.10 per page for black & white, .25 for color copies.)
  5. Access sessions will be limited to 60 minutes, (30 minutes if another user is waiting) unless otherwise permitted by authorized Library staff.
  6. Users must end their session immediately and leave the terminal when asked to do so by authorized Library staff at the expiration of their time or for failure to comply with these rules.
  7. Upon completion of an Internet access session, a user may be required to wait 30 minutes before beginning another session.
  8. Users will respect the privacy of other users, and will refrain from attempting to view or read material being used by others.
  9. By mutual agreement, two persons may share one access session as long as their behavior or conversation does not disturb other users or Library staff.

At the sole discretion of library staff, they are authorized to take prompt and appropriate actions to enforce the Rules of Conduct, and/or to prohibit use by persons who fail to comply with the Internet Acceptable Use Policy as stated herein.

Use of Filtered Search Engines

The Hampden Free Public Library supports the right and responsibility of parents to direct use of the Internet by their own children, and provides convenient access to filtering software on all the Internet terminals located in the library.  Filtered search engines (which are not under the control of the Library) and filtering software may restrict access to sites which could be deemed objectionable, but may also limit access to sites which have legitimate research value.  No filtering system is 100% effective or efficient.  Library staff will direct children under age 18 to utilize a filtered workstation.  Anyone over age 18 may request that filtering software be disabled.

Library-Recommended Webpages

The staff of the Hampden Free Public Library may recommend a variety of web sites in order to facilitate use of the Internet.  Users should recognize, however, that the library is not responsible for changes to the content of recommended sites, nor for the content of sources accessed through subsequent links.